Trip Reports

Sunday, September 11, 1999 - Saturday, September 18, 1999 -- The Hurricane Floyd Wedding Report

Cast of Characters:

Me (Amy): 22 (at the time), 3rd trip to WDW. Both previous trips had been one day jaunts to MK and Epcot, as my grandmother lives in Florida. First time staying on-site for any period of time. Disneyland Annual Passholder (and therefore veteran Disney park alum). Maid of honor for Tami and Skip's wedding.
Tami: 22, Best Friend and Bride-to Be, Frequent WDW Visitor and fellow Disneyland AP'er. Perky, blonde, and way too cute.
Skip: 24, Other Best Friend and Groom-to-Be, Pluto Fanatic, Indiana Jones fanatic, Mickey fanatic, Star Wars fanatic, Lego fanatic (sensing a pattern yet?)
The Snow Family: Including Dad Terry (also my boss), Mom Sandy, Brother Brian, Grandparents from both sides, Uncle Ron and Aunt Nancy.
The See Family: Dad Peter, Mom Jill, Brother John and then-girlfriend-now-wife Cindy, and Ed and Maxine Davis (Skip's godparents)
The Conways: Brian, Joni and Lindsay - Seasoned WDW travelers. Joni works at Disneyland in CA.
Pre-trip planning

Even before Skip proposed to Tami in December of 1998 in a New Orleans Square (Disneyland) courtyard, I knew their wedding would take place at Walt Disney World. Skip had become obsessed (as he is wont to do) with WDW after a Valentine's Day trip earlier that year, and Tami is a consummate Disney freak. So, it came as no surprise to me that we would be traveling to Florida for their nuptials.

Once Tami nailed down the September 16, 1999 date, I started shopping around for airfare, and decided on Delta flights to and from Orlando from San Diego. I think I paid around $430, round trip, which I was promptly informed by Tami's mom was too expensive, but it was the best I could find at the time. I was scheduled to take a red-eye from San Diego to Atlanta on Saturday the 11th, and then continue on to Orlando, arriving Sunday the 12th.

Luckily, since I was a member of the wedding party, the Snows generously paid for my hotel and shuttle, so I didn't have to worry about those details. I seem to remember Tami saying that there was a 10% discount for wedding guests, but I wouldn't swear to that. We did get 10% off of park passes, that I remember.

So, with airfare purchased, a five day park-hopper pass secured, and a generous supply of sunscreen/bug repellent stashed in my suitcase, I was ready to take on WDW.

Saturday, September 11, 1999 AND Sunday, September 12, 1999

After months of wedding planning and anticipation, it was finally time to leave! I made sure that I had all the essentials packed (including the bridesmaid dress, shoes and various foofy accessories), and we were off. Lovely, wonderful, amused parents drove me to the airport at 9:00 at night. The San Diego Airport was fairly deserted. Our plane boarded easily and I had a whole row to myself (woohoo!) The plan was to get a few hours sleep on the plane, change planes, then land in Orlando for a day of Disney fun. Of course, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even nap. I don't think my eyes closed once during the entire flight. So, I watched Entrapment on the teensy little airplane monitor and tried not to stress myself into a frenzy. Three packs of airplane trail mix and two Sprites later, we landed in Atlanta at the ungodly hour of 5a.m.

For anyone who has never been to the Atlanta airport, let me warn you...it's huge, gargantuan, a behemoth of airline wonder. My inbound flight (after taxiing on the runway for the better part of half an hour) finally pulled into Terminal A. Lo and behold, where is my connecting flight? That's right! Terminal E! So, after orienting myself, I trekked the five miles or so to the super-speedy tram which promptly whisked me to Terminal E in rural Georgia. I was surprised to find after my journey that I was still about 45 minutes early for my connection, so I whipped out the Discman and listened to some tunes while watching hyperactive children chase each other around the seats. I noticed that my flight to Orlando had a considerably higher kid quotient, which was fine with me.

The flight from Orlando to Atlanta went off without a hitch. I promptly located my towncar driver and my luggage and we were off to the resort. My driver was prompt, attentive, cordial, and slightly strange. After a 30 minute lecture on the usefulness of developing retail and handyman skills, mercifully we pulled up at Port Orleans. Not two minutes after I stepped out of the car Tami was bounding down the walk, Tigger-like, to tackle-hug me. I greeted the rest of the Snow clan and Skippy, and was led to Tami's and my room on the first floor of Building 5. After a brief shower and a change of clothes (it was already oppressively humid at 9 in the morning) we hopped on a bus to the Animal Kingdom.

I was amazed at the sheer size of the resort. It took us a full 15 minutes (after a stop at Blizzard Beach) to get to AK from Port Orleans. For someone who's used to the compact Disneyland resort, it's a bit overwhelming. But, we made it nevertheless. By the way, I have a major soft spot for AK (even though this was my first visit) because it opened on my birthday, April 22. I remember visiting the Disney website and seeing the countdown clock to the opening of the park, which was also conveniently a countdown to my 21st birthday. So, needless to say, I was excited to visit "my" park.

We hopped off the bus and trotted up to the front gates. Tami and Skip and I stopped to let a cast member take our picture. The CM taking the picture remarked that Skip was lucky to get two dates when he couldn't even get one. We didn't buy the photo...but it was cute just the same. Tami and Skip needed to buy Annual Passports since they were going to be here for over two weeks. So, while Tami's folks and I waited for them, we entered the park and interacted with huge bug puppets that were being manipulated by cast members near the front entrance.

About 20 minutes later, we were off! It took us some time to get used to navigating the park, since none of us had ever been here before. We consulted the map quite a bit that day. After stopping for a snack at a fruit cart in Harambe, we entered the standby line for the Kilamanjaro Safari. A few minutes later we boarded, and were on our way! It was a warm, humid morning, so our animal experiences weren't as spectacular as they could have been. Poor guys were as sluggish as we were. Still, it was neat to see all the animals up close, even though I would have liked the "transport" to go slower so that we could get a better look at them. Sidenote: I live close to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego, which has an hour-long safari train ride. Next to that, this seemed a little lacking. We did enjoy seeing the male lion, however. Skip was convinced that he was animatronic because he was sitting in one spot and not moving. We found out later from Joni (the guru of all things Disney) that they freeze the lion's food and put it in front of him (but out of sight from the guests). So, he's up on his perch waiting for his dinner to thaw. Good for us, but that kind of stinks for the lion. Oh well, he still gets free food.

After our narrow escape from the evil poachers (An aside: My dream job would be being that one CM at the end of the ride with the fake gun yelling at the fake poachers. That would be great), Skippy posed in the Gorilla cages and we meandered (after much discussion and many times getting lost) over to the Tree of Life to see It's Tough to Be a Bug. We played a rousing game of I Spy looking for different animals in the tree. I think that the Tree of Life was my favorite image from the whole trip. It was just awe-inspiring to see what people can create. Amazing. Once inside the tree, we collected our bug specs and got our seats for the show. Hands down this is the best 3-D production I've ever seen. The effects are great, the show is just the right length and there's lots of humor and fun. I didn't appreciate getting a hornet sting in my tooshie though!!! Totally unprepared for that little eventuality!

So, rubbing our rear ends and giggling, we traipsed out of the theater, wandered for a bit looking for a restaurant with air conditioning, failed, and got our requisite handstamp to leave the park to eat at the Rainforest Café. Ok, prepare for a rant of unrivaled proportion...I'd never eaten at this particular establishment, so I really didn't know what to expect. It seemed cute and all, animals, merchandise, yada yada. First off, we waited half an hour for a table (which isn't all THAT bad, but you have to remember that I'm working on 2.5 minutes sleep and airplane food at this point). Second, we were seated underneath a tree with a shrieking monkey. Not only did this monkey screech at the top of his manufactured lungs every 5 minutes, he was directly over my head. It was too loud to hear yourself think, much less hear your dinner companions speak. Third, it took us an hour to get our food once we were seated, and when we did get it, it was not up to par. A total waste of time, money, and eardrums. I'm so glad it isn't owned by Disney.

Anyway, 2 hours later when we emerged from the Crapola Café, we were itching for some more animal fun, so we reentered the park and trudged over to Camp Minnie-Mickey for the Lion King show. My mood immediately improved. This show was interactive (but not in an embarrassing, shoot me, shoot me now kind of way), creative and just downright spectacular. It made the price of admission worthwhile for me. (Okay - second dream job - being a monkey in the Lion King show. I would love to bounce around for a living) Faboo!

Next, another hike back to the hub and a detour into Dinoland to ride Countdown to Extinction (insert ominous music here). We again chose the standby line and wended our way through the (peacefully) air conditioned ride building. I especially enjoyed Bill Nye the Science Guy as the Voice of God. Heehee...it's a little disconcerting to be standing in a seemingly innocuous room and all of a sudden hear a booming voice saying "Hi, I'm Bill Nye the Science Guy..." Apparently at WDW, Bill Nye has supernatural powers...anyway...we boarded our Indy vehicle and we were off...on the scariest darn ride I have ever been on! Ok, I'm not a wimp. I've been on Indiana Jones at Disneyland at least 25 times, so I know how that particular ride vehicle works, plus I go on any "scary" ride without hesitation, because usually it's just a rush. I don't know if it was because of the sleep deprivation or post traumatic screeching monkey disorder, but this ride scared me half to death. Not only did I feel like I was going to be thrown from the car at any moment, but I also was in constant fear of being chomped by a giant Carnotaur. *sigh* The picture at the end of the ride had Tami with her hands clamped tightly over her eyes and me screaming bloody murder and looking petrified. I'd hesitate before going on this particular adventure again, and I certainly wouldn't take kids on it, not unless you enjoy paying thousands of dollars for therapy.

So, after being permanently emotionally scarred, the group decided to do something a little more irreverent, so we found our way over to Tarzan Rocks! I love how exclamatory that is. It isn't just Tarzan Rocks, it's Tarzan Rocks! Heeheehee...anyway, apparently Tarzan's rocking somewhere else during this show because he doesn't grace us with his presence until almost the end of the performance. Until then, you're treated to the musical stylings of Almost Phil Collins and the Too Loud Wannabes. Okay, actually, I liked the dancing and rollerblading and all the rest of the frenetic energy of the show, but the folks singing at my performance just bothered me. Again, it may be pesky PTSMD (see above) clouding my memory.

Apparently, cheesy singing brings rain, because the storm that was threatening to break all day finally let loose while we were in the performance. The looooong walk back to the bus stop was made even more lovely by a torrential downpour. I was so relieved that it was finally raining and not just humid that I let myself get soaked. It felt great!

After a nice long shower and a change of clothes back at PO, Skip, Tami, Terry and I caught a boat downriver to Pleasure Island to get some dinner. We ended up at the Wildhorse Saloon, which is a really fun place to eat and has great food. We chowed down and posed with the cowboy horses. Then, about 8p.m. Orlando time, it finally happened. I hit the wall. I think Tami had to support my slumping body on the bus ride back to PO and lead me into the room. I don't really remember much after eating. All I know is that I slept great, no jet lag, and I woke up about 12 hours later.

Which brings us to...

Monday, September 13, 1999

After an overpriced yet filling breakfast at the food court and some browsing in the hotel gift shop, Tami, Skip and I met up with Skip's parents, Jill and Peter, for more theme park fun. After some vigorous discussion, we decided on MGM Studios, since it had more shows than rides, and was therefore more appropriate for Skip's folks. Again we boarded a bus and again had a fairly long ride to MGM.

As we pulled up, I knew that this park was right up my alley. I am a major film nut, having taken several film classes in college, as well as a Hollywood aficionado (big fan of E! True Hollywood Story, anyway). The exterior theming reminded me of 50's diners and LA kitsch. I knew I was right at home.

We entered the park and, as we were all famished, headed straight to the Brown Derby for lunch. We got there just as they opened and were the first ones seated. I completely ignored everyone else and tried to pick out everyone I could recognize out of the caricatures on the walls. The interior of this restaurant is so plush and inviting. I loved all of the warm, dark wood and the neutral color scheme. After perusing the menu, I was goaded into getting a Cobb Salad with chicken. It was, without a doubt, the best Cobb Salad I've ever tasted. Everyone else had the Cobb except for Skippy, who had Seared Ahi which he thoroughly enjoyed. The service was wonderful as well. I think this was my favorite meal of the trip. The service, ambiance, company and food were all superb. There was nary a monkey in sight.

Filled to the brim and completely happy, we wandered over to The Great Movie Ride. It seemed like we waited quite a while, but the interior was cool and inviting, and there was plenty to look at, so I didn't mind. The ride itself was okay (we were on the Cowboy side). Something dripped on Tami and me during the Alien sequence and we both screamed bloody murder (possibly sublimated stress from the Countdown to Extinction ordeal) and were subsequently tormented by our tour guide. I especially liked the film montage at the end. Skippy cheered during the Star Wars clip. Rested and refreshed, we left ready for our next new adventure.

Skippy steered us to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. I tried my hardest to get picked to participate, but I guess I didn't look gullible enough or something, because they picked the guy in front of me. The stunts were amazing, especially the fight/chase sequences. I was in theater for many years and had to learn stage fighting, but I was never as good as these folks are. We all really enjoyed the show.

After Indy, the giant AT-AT locked a tractor beam on Skippy, so we followed him over to Star Tours (even though we have this ride at Disneyland and have been on it countless times and I really wanted to go do something different...anyway). The outside theming of the attraction is far superior to Disneyland's, but the ride itself is, well, exactly the same. I have a great picture of Skippy crouched under the AT-AT's raised foot (in the area behind the rope where you're not supposed to go...shhh...don't tell). "Star Tours, what are you doing here!"

Narrowly having escaped the wrath of the Evil Empire (muahaha!) a potty break and some shopping was in order. While the others were visiting Pottyland, I bought a great Action! frame in one of the nearby shops. It's on my desk at work now...*sigh*...wish I was back at MGM. Anyhoo...Muppets 3D was next on the list, and of course I had to stop and have Tami take my picture in front of my childhood hero's fountain...Miss Piggy. I have some recollection of squealing and jumping up and down when I saw the venerable pig's image forever immortalized in bronzed aquatic glory in front of me. The gal's got attitude, that's for sure.

There was no line for the show (actually, lines were short for the entire week...I guess most sane people don't go on vacation in Florida in the middle of hurricane season), so we walked right in and caught the entire adorable pre-show. For anyone like me who grew up with the fantastic double treat of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, Jim Henson and his world of colorful characters seem like home. So, grinning like a loon, we entered the theater and giggled along with this fabulous show. My favorite parts were the two old geezers in the balcony (of course) and Sam Eagle's "Tribute to all Nations, but Mostly America." I think I launched into a full force giggle fit when I heard that one.

We all loved the show, and I for one was glad that this day was going smoother than yesterday. Most of the attractions at MGM are air-conditioned, so it doesn't seem as oppressively hot as AK. Plus, it seemed more compact. You could do a circuit, instead of expending your energy walking back to a central location to go to the next land. The food choices at this park are more varied (and tasty) than AK. I wish that I had had time to explore some of the other themed restaurants here. After reading other trip reports, the other restaurants at MGM sound like lots of fun. Maybe next trip (crossing fingers fervently).

Okay, back to the narrative, enough commentary. We strolled along New York Street for a while, decided to skip the Backlot tour (even though I really wanted to see the façade for The Golden Girls house...one drawback to traveling with groups is that you have to make some concessions), and popped into the ABC Commissary for a snack and to rest for a bit. This is a nice place to just take a break and relax. Over the week, I noticed that at times, with all the new attractions, sights and sounds, that I went into sensory overload. The Commissary is fairly quiet (if you don't mind ABC commercials), simple, and most importantly, climate controlled. It was very nice to just sit and process what we had seen so far that day.

After getting lost on New York Street (that façade is disorienting!). The group headed back to the hub and over to The Magic of Disney Animation tour. We had to wait a bit for the tour to start, but once it did, I was immediately enthralled. I particularly enjoyed the film with Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite. Our animator was drawing sketches of Sabor from Tarzan and talked for a bit about clean-up animation. The studio itself seemed pretty empty (probably everyone was at home boarding up their windows), but I did get a chance to see some conceptual art for the new John Henry feature they're working on, which was interesting. As we exited into the display area, I was overjoyed to see a huge exhibit of conceptual art for Sleeping Beauty, my all time, hands-down, no comparison favorite Disney film of all time. Ask any of my friends about my Malificent obsession, they'll tell you. I think I spent about half an hour in that little room gazing at the storyboards. Tami and Skippy had to forcibly remove me from the Malificent display.

Giddy with joy, I bounded back out into MGM. Jill and Peter had had enough by this point and weren't up to braving Rock N' Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror with us, so we bid them farewell and skipped down Sunset Boulevard until we saw the giant guitar façade of Rock N' Roller Coaster. We had a blast! Great theming, great preshow (loved the Ileanna Douglas cameo...she cracks me up). I'll admit it, I was freaked out when I saw the "limos" screeching out of sight, but once we were seated and secured, I calmed down and just let myself enjoy it. We three California kids (born and raised in San Diego and L.A.), got a kick out of all the pop-up landmarks. Tami: "Don't take the 101...you'll get stuck in traffic!" Tons of fun!

Tami was too chicken to go on ToT (apparently she freaked out on her last trip and can't stand to go near the building), so Skippy and I zoomed up to the ride and walked into the preshow. I thought this whole attraction was marvelously thought out. It's creepy and kitschy, and at the same time fun and true to the spirit of the Twilight Zone. When we were waiting for our elevator, our bellhop had a bit of fun with me. First, he asked who hadn't been on the ride before. Stupidly, I raised my hand (I was the only one), and he came back, and with a gleam in his eye, said "I'm going to have some fun." He then switched Skippy and I with another couple, and said: "You've got the jump seat." Now, I had no idea what he was talking about until we entered the elevator and I saw that I was the only one without a lap bar. He instructed me to make sure that the belt was nice and tight, and it was totally loose! So, I hollered at him that it was loose and he came back and held it up for everyone to see. First, he asked if Skippy and I were together. I said no, of course, Skippy's practically my brother. Then he asked if I was seeing anyone. I wasn't , so I giggled no. His response: "Too bad, nobody will miss you." He let the belt snap back into place (this time it held) stalked out, the doors closed, and we were on our way. I'd been on freefall rides before, but nothing like this. The repeated drop sequence made it much more thrilling, and the view of the park let you know just how high up you were. I really enjoyed this attraction. The CM made it a memorable experience for me, and the ride itself was just fantastic.

Skip and I related our adventure to Tami, and then all of us decided that we were worn out for the day. We did a last bit of shopping, then headed back out to the bus to PO. Our bus driver asked the group if we were going to be here on Wednesday. He then replied that he wasn't, because Hurricane Floyd was coming and he was in the union. Apparently union workers can take off during emergency situations, no matter what Disney wants. Up to this point, we had been immersed in Disney fun and hadn't given much thought to Floyd, which was looming off the Florida course on a direct trajectory towards Orlando. We were now faced with the realization that certain members of the wedding party might now be able to make it to Florida at all. When we got back to the hotel, we all met up for drinks and spoke with Tami's parents, who had been running back and forth to the airport all day. Apparently, they were going to close the Orlando airport on Tuesday, no flights in or out. At that point, neither Skip nor Tami's brother were there, and neither was the other groomsman nor the two bridesmaids. The prognosis for the wedding was looking grim.

So, I played the best peacemaker that I could because everyone else had worked themselves up to fever pitch in crisis mode. I made sure everyone was sufficiently inebriated, cracked jokes, and gave both the moms backrubs. Amazingly enough, Skip, Tami and I were calm as could be. I was completely expecting Tami to flip out, but she kept her composure and grace throughout the entire week. After a couple frenzied hours on the phone, both dads were able to get their sons on late night flights, and the rest of the no-shows were left to fend for themselves. (The groomsman and bridesmaids never did make it. Though they tried valiantly, I ended up being the only female attendant).

We decided that nothing more could be done that night, so with all the most recent information surveyed and analyzed, we tucked in for the night.

Tuesday, September 14, 1999

D-Day Or "When the going gets tough, the tough go to EPCOT."

We found out from Joni the next day (I don't know how she finds this stuff out) that the parks were going to be open until 2p.m., which was when they expected the storm to hit. So, since for all we knew WDW could be gone tomorrow, we bravely hopped a bus and took off for Epcot. On the walk in from the bus stop we saw an armadillo poking around in the bushes. So, of course, Uncle Ron's and Brian Conway's video cameras come out to immortalize the poor little creature. We gals, who were much less enthralled, hiked in towards the front gates. This was the largest group I was with the entire week, and it was a bit of a logistical nightmare keeping track of all 10 or so people. It was cloudy today, but not unpleasant. In fact, I think it was the coolest day of the entire time I was there. The millennium sign was still being placed atop Spaceship Earth when we were there, but I was happy that I at least got to see it in all its sparkling glory. As you may have guessed, there were very few lines this day, so we walked right on Spaceship Earth. I really like this ride. I don't know why, exactly, I just do. It's really corny in a fabulous Disney kind of way. Makes me smile.

Next we trekked over to HISTA, which they have now at Disneyland. Basically the same, though the setup of the theater is a bit different and we don't have the True Colors preshow. After ascertaining that the line for Test Track was prohibitive, we went into the Land pavilion and had a yummy lunch of chicken salad (which Tami got all over her hands) and cookies and cheesecake. Half of our group decided to go on the Living with the Land ride, and the rest of us slowpokes headed over to Food Rocks! Again with the obligatory exclamation points...anyway. Ok, how to explain this...I have a bizarre sense of humor that comes out in the strangest situations. I just couldn't enter into a show entitled Food Rocks! and sit quietly and observe the animatronic fruit. I had to be hyper. So, I grabbed Tami by the hand, yelled Food Rocks! at the top of my lungs, made a peace sign to the startled parents and ran into the theater. I then made everyone sit in the front row and yell Food Rocks! and cheer for all the performers. I think after that everyone thought I was more than a little loopy. We'll chalk it up to impending disaster syndrome and leave it at that.

After reconnoitering (that's a big word, isn't it...my folks will be so happy that I'm using my English degree) with the non-food-rockers, we decided to just throw in the towel and brave the Test Track line. I liked all the exhibits and stuff to look at. I hate boring lines. The ride itself left a little to be desired though. This kind of stuff may fly in Florida, but for me, a Southern Californian, going 68 miles per hour in an open car is just, well, your typical Wednesday.

Okay, enough jaded motorist schtick. When we exited Test Track it was 2 o'clock on the dot, and lo and behold, it started raining. I seriously think that Disney has its own team of weather experts working around the clock. They were very accurate during our stay. The folks in the shops were taking all the merchandise off the shelves and hanging black tarps over the windows. You could feel the sense of "yes, the hurricane is real and it is coming" in the air. For whatever reason, either being short staffed, or the rain, or some other eventuality, we had to wait an hour for a bus. They were coming regularly for all the resorts, but there were so many people there that they couldn't meet the demand. I ended up standing on the ride back to PO. When we got there the gift shop was closed, as was Bonfamille's restaurant. The food court was swarming with people trying to stock up on provisions before they closed to let the employees go home to their families. Strangely enough, it wasn't raining that hard, more of a drizzle. Kids were running and playing in the grassy areas. It was a strange atmosphere, that of both impending doom and quiet resignation.

As for me, I wasn't about to wait in another hour long line for a meager sandwich, so I holed up in our room and watched TV. I had brought several Balance bars with me for snacks, which could conveniently sustain me for at least a couple of days if all the warnings turned into a real emergency. So, I just sat and waited. Tami's parents, bless them, did wait in the line and brought us sandwiches as well as muffins and fruit for the next morning. They said that all the food was half off, which was very nice of Disney to do, considering. We also had a note on the bed from the hotel staff warning us of the impeding hurricane, telling us what they knew at that point, what precautions we should take, and what services would be available the next day. After a while, Tami and Skip joined me in the room, and then so did John and Cindy, as well as Tami's brother Brian, who did card tricks and told jokes and generally lightened the mood.

A few observations on being at a Disney resort during an emergency: a) no pay-for-play movies nor premium channels. Luckily, we didn't lose power, so we could watch TV to amuse ourselves, but we couldn't find anything other than 5 variations of the Disney channel and hurricane coverage. It would have been nice to watch a movie to take our minds off the situation b) if you don't have a rental car, you're pretty much at the mercy of the resort staff, because resort transportation stops (they're union, they don't have to be there). However, having said that, the staff was very professional and accommodating, and did a good job keeping us informed in a situation that they had never faced before. c) Don't expect resources to be abundant. There was an obvious shortage of both food and staff. Perhaps setting up emergency food/information stations would have been in order.

A brief note on hurricanes by a lifetime Californian: It's very strange to watch your doom inching closer and closer on a television. We're used to earthquakes, which come out of nowhere, and go away, and you're just left to clean up whatever damage they caused. Just knowing that you're helpless to stop this immense natural force from completely clobbering you is very humbling. As scary as it was, I'm glad that I had the opportunity to face my fears head-on. I feel stronger for the experience. Another hurricane anomaly: every television station in the area sends some idiot cub reporter out to stand on a pier at the coast with a camera and a microphone during a hurricane. The entire night we were yelling at the TV screen for them to just run! Run away before you get swept out to sea, you idiot! One guy was hanging onto a pole to keep from blowing away. Stupid stupid stupid. If we knew when earthquakes were going to happen, would we send reporters out to stand next to the San Andreas fault? "I'm starting to feel a slight rumbling here at the fault, Bill, Earthquake Rolanda's force is beginning to be felt." I don't think so!

We eventually gave up on waiting for our deaths and went to bed. At 11p.m. it was raining hard and steadily, but the wind was calm. We filled the bathtub with water, closed the shutters, put our shoes by the bed, and went to sleep.

Wednesday, September 15, 1999

The Morning After

We woke up to a semi-cloudy sky and no rain. After scanning the TV stations, we found out that Floyd had veered off when it hit the coast, instead traveling northward towards the Carolinas. We were very relieved that we weren't hit, but I at least had a sickening feeling that our northerly neighbors weren't going to be so lucky. In fact, I was more than a little upset at the attitude of the local media. Their tone was basically, "Well, we're safe, so everything's fine now." I had to turn off the television before I threw something at it.

All of the parks were supposed to be closed today for the first time in WDW history, but they ended up opening Animal Kingdom for free for resort guests only, which was a very nice gesture. Tami and I, however, were just emotionally worn out, so we let Skip and the rest of the crew go without us. In retrospect, I'm really glad that Tami and I had some time together, just the two of us, on the day before she got married. It was really special to me to just hang out with her and talk and laugh and be best friends for a day. So, I guess good old Floyd brought blessings too.

We lazed around for a while, got breakfast at the now empty Food Court, and went for a dip in the pool. After a lazy lunch, Tami called the minister that was presiding over her wedding to try and work out a rehearsal. Her previous arrangements for rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and some beauty treatments had been canceled due to the storm. Father Tim agreed to a rehearsal that night, and suggested the gazebo at the Yacht Club as a venue. We agreed to meet him at 6 with the rest of the gang. We then had to find a restaurant willing to accommodate a dinner for 20 people. Only the non-Disney owned restaurants were open. We finally found Harry's Safari Bar and Grille at the Dolphin (which I see is no longer in existence...*pout*...their food was excellent). They were open, they had a private room for us and they could accommodate us at seven that night. So, Tami called the whole crew and gave them instructions while I, well, napped.

The gang returned from AK about five. We all got dressed in nicer clothes and hopped in the Snow's rental van to drive over to the Yacht Club. What a beautiful resort! I immediately fell in love with the nautical décor and the clean white buildings. It just seems to have a serene feel to it, especially since it was right on the water and had a wonderful view of the Boardwalk. Tami and Skip stayed here on their honeymoon, and they just loved it. *sigh* Maybe someday.

Father Tim was waiting for us as scheduled. We swapped hurricane war stories with him and his wife while we waited for everyone to arrive. John, the best man and Skip's brother, was nowhere to be found, We waited for him for about 20 minutes and then just gave up and went ahead with the rehearsal. It's funny when you look at pictures of the rehearsal because everyone is scowling. I'm not sure why. I know Skip was mad at John because he didn't find the place in time. I think their parents were upset for that reason too, but I don't know why everyone else was so cranky. Pre-wedding, post-hurricane jitters, perhaps? Plus, I just don't see the point of having a rehearsal when the entire wedding consists of 20 people. It was nice to meet Father Tim and get a sense of how the day was going to run, but really, who were we trying to impress? I'm sure that our audience of 12 family members wouldn't care if we didn't walk down the aisle perfectly.

Anyway, as we were finishing up, John and Cindy finally showed and got the icy cold shoulder from Skip. Skippy is normally very sweet and loving and fun, but if you make him mad, just stay away from him. He has one heck of a temper. We all walked over to the Dolphin from the Yacht Club. It was a lovely evening. There was truly a calm after the storm, because the entire place seemed deserted and quiet. The weather was still fairly cool, which made the night even more enjoyable. The lights from the Boardwalk were glimmering on the water, and couples were lazily cycling along its shores. Altogether a simply wonderful stroll.

We arrived at Harry's and waited in the bar for them to finish setting up our room. Drinks were had all around and I took the opportunity to visit with the folks who I hadn't had much contact with during the week. Tami's aunt Nancy and I chatted about her daughter's wedding which had taken place earlier that summer. Weddings always seem to happen in threes in families. Nancy's daughter, Tami and Skip, and John and Cindy all got married within a year. After sipping our beverages and taking in the décor of the restaurant, which was Jungle Cruise-esque, we were seated in our private dining room at a huge table. Since John was still on the outs with Skippy, he sat near the foot of the table, while Skip and Tami sat at the head with their parents. I decided to be conciliatory and sat next to Cindy, John's girlfriend, at the foot of the table. On my right was Skip's godfather, Ed Davis, who is a retired commercial pilot. He regaled us with various hurricane and flying stories, and was altogether a lovely gentleman to share an evening with. His wife, Maxine, was equally as charming. Across from me were the Conways, Uncle Ron and Aunt Nancy, and Tami's brother Brian.

We had a very nice time talking and were promptly served with an appetizers menu. We had a choice of three items, and unfortunately, I can only remember the one I got, which was grilled prawns with several different dipping sauces. They were delicious. After the appetizer course, we chose our dinner selections. I had (and it must have been good because I still remember it) Grilled Sea Bass on a bed of Baby Bok Choi and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. Mmmm...yummy. The other choices were a sirloin steak with similar accompaniments and a chicken dish of some sort. Skippy got the 3 pound lobster. I could not believe how huge that thing was! Naturally, he couldn't eat it all, so, halfway through the meal he passed down a plate of tasty morsels to John. John accepted the crustacean olive branch and nary a word was spoken of the incident again. Boys are so weird sometimes.

After coffee and various toasts, the now very full and very tired group headed back to PO to try to get some sleep before the big day. We had to get up early and shower to get to our hair and makeup appointments at 6a.m. at the Grand Floridian. Tami, Cindy and I all got tucked in and chatted a bit before drifting off to sleep. Now, if it was the day before MY wedding, I guarantee you that I wouldn't be able to sleep, but Miss Tami was snoozing away before I was.

Thursday, September 16, 1999

"Here Comes the Bride...and the 6'2" Maid of Honor"

Showered, dressed in pajamas and ready to go, Tami and I waited for her mom to show up at our room to take us to the Grand Floridian to get our hair and makeup done. Sandy showed up at 6:10, in a total panic that we would be too late and that everything would go badly, etc., etc. We tried to calm her down, but I think she was bound and determined to freak out a little, so we just let her go for it. We drove (in the dark, I might add) to the GF and after some hotdogging and parking lot circling by Sandy, finally found where we were supposed to go. We were in a smallish room in the Convention Center, where we could get dressed, get our hair and makeup done and have our dresses steamed. We got to the room and four wizards were there, set up and waiting for us. We had two hairdressers and two makeup artists, all of whom were very fabulous and chatty. They had just finished doing hair and makeup for the dancers in the latest Backstreet Boys video and were talking about the finished product (which had just entered rotation on MTV). I found out later (while watching the Disney Channel) that the gal who did Tami's makeup used to do Britney Spears' makeup when she was on the MMC. So we're like, 2 degrees of separation from Britney...woohoo!

Anyway, they got started on Tami, Sandy, Lindsay and me. I gave the hairdresser one instruction: I want it up, and I want it to stay up! She did a really great job, because an hour later I had my first "big hair" Southern hairdo. It was one of those things where if you push your hair down it pops right back up. I felt completely ridiculous, but it didn't fall down, so she did a really great job. Plus, as silly as I felt at the time, it looked good in the pictures. My makeup was another overkill moment. Now, I tell you, from all the theater I've done, I'm used to heavy makeup, but this just floored me all the same. I was done up to the nines. But, again, it turned out well in the pics, so no matter how much like a clown I felt, it was all worth it.

A couple hours later we were all dressed in our best and completely done up and ready to go take pictures. Okay, now, I'm a tall woman. In my bare feet I'm about 5'10". The shoes (which we had picked out for all of the bridesmaids since they matched the dresses) have about a 3 and a half inch heel on them. So, in my full getup, shoes, and hair, which added another inch or two, I was well over 6 feet tall. Tami is, at best, 5'5" or so. So, in most of the pictures, I'm sitting down and Tami's standing. Gotta love being an amazon. We went over and took lots of pictures in the Grand Floridian lobby, which is incredibly opulent and stylish. I wanted to stay and look around, but we were on a schedule, so I hopped in the limo with the rest of the bridal party as we sped off to the Wedding Pavilion.

The Disney Wedding staff was very well coordinated. Tami's wedding coordinator, Sheila, was on top of every detail and had several assistants on hand to help her. We reached the Wedding Pavilion at about 15 minutes to 10, when the wedding was scheduled to start. I was ushered into the bridal dressing room and Lindsay accompanied me. I really wanted to go look around the chapel before the wedding got started, but I got stern looks from Sheila even for peeking, so I just took a seat and waited. The dressing rooms are together in one building, groom's on the left side and bride's on the right facing the building, separated by a common lobby. Tami was still off getting her pictures taken, so I wandered around and looked at the decorations. There's two long lighted mirrors for you to do your makeup, hair, etc., a private bathroom and a couple of Victorian-esque couches. Lindsay was fingering what I thought was a Renoir print. I walked up to her and saw actual brushstrokes, this was no poster! I admonished her not to touch them and stared once again at the painting in front of me. I couldn't believe it was real! There are two Renoirs and one Monet in the dressing rooms. Tami showed up about 5 minutes before the ceremony was about to start and was prepped and talked to by Sheila. I gave her a hug and peeked at the rest of the family, who were now being seated. Before long, Sheila came back and told me: you're on! I waited behind the double doors. Even though there were only 15 or so people in the chapel, I was very nervous.

The double doors opened with a swish, and all eyes turned to watch me walk down the aisle. For some strange reason I held my skirt up to keep from tripping over it, which I wish I hadn't done, but other than that, my 30 seconds or so of Wedding Pavilion fame went very well. I glided down the aisle, taking in the beautiful light wood pews and the airy, cathedral-like feeling of the space. It really is a very romantic and beautiful place to get married. It was a bright, sunny (and very hot but not humid) day and the chapel was lit up beautifully. We could see the castle in the distance in the windows behind Father Tim. I made my little circle and turned to wait for Tami's entrance.

The double doors opened again, and everyone stood to watch Tami make her bridal entrance on the arm of her father. I had never seen her look more radiant or happy. Now, I'm not the most emotional person in the world, but I started to tear up and was afraid that I would soon have big black tear stains running down my cheeks. I managed to hold my composure, though, and grinned at my best friend as she came down the aisle to realize the dream of marrying her beloved Skippy.

The ceremony proceeded in typical fashion. It was fairly short, heartfelt, and personal. Tip for brides - get a light bouquet. Tami's rose-filled masterpiece, though beautiful, weighed at least 10 pounds. Try holding that with one hand for twenty minutes! Be nice to your maids of honor...get a nice, light, easy to hold bouquet. Tami and Skip played a little joke on us too. When Father Tim asked for the rings, John (the best man) didn't have them, because he was told that he wouldn't need to carry them. So, when he said he didn't have them, of course both fathers started taking off their rings to give to the couple. Father Tim was in on the joke though, and called out for the rings to be brought in. With great fanfare, the double doors opened, and the majordomo from Cinderella entered (dressed in full pancake and gold lame) and marched up to the altar. He presented the rings to Father Tim on a crystal Cinderella slipper, made a little speech, and exited. I think Tami's dad about had a heart attack. After this excitement, Tami and Skip professed their undying love for each other and were soon pronounced husband and wife. I was amazed at how fast it went. It made me think to myself to really stop and savor every moment when I get married, because it all seems to pass so quickly. Ecstatic, the now newlyweds kissed and practically ran out of the chapel to strains of Star Wars music and locked themselves in the bridal dressing room.

The rest of the wedding party exited and waited in the groom's dressing room for instructions. After waiting (forever!) for the newlyweds to emerge, we took a round of your typical, posed photos and waited (and waited, and waited) for Tami and Skip to finish up their Pavilion photo shoot. A short time later, we stood at the end of the footbridge in two lines and watched as Tami and Skip kissed while a flock of white doves was released. They ran between us as we blew bubbles and hopped into their limo. The rest of us waited for the limo to return and we were shuttled back over to the Grand Floridian.

A cocktail/appetizer reception on a GF patio followed, close to where we had gotten dressed earlier that morning. The monorail runs through this particular courtyard, so we got some well wishers yelling at us as the monorail zoomed past during the appetizer hour. After some nibbles (mostly yummy crab cakes on my part), and some mugging for our amateur videographers, we entered the White Hall room for our reception luncheon. The tables were set up in a square formation (which made it very hard to talk to anyone who wasn't sitting right next to you), and the room was decorated for the wedding theme. A cake table on the far wall hosted a two tier Mickeyed confection with the requisite Mickey and Minnie cake topper. After the majordomo announced Tami and Skip, we sat down and ate a sumptuous dinner of steak with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, salad and wine. I had a little too much wine. In my defense, it had been a very stressful week and a very hot day and I was thirsty! Plus, those GF servers are just too attentive. Before you can tell them no, your glass is already full. So, after about 4 glasses of wine (hey, I'm not proud of it...well, maybe a little) and a bunch of pictures (which were a lot easier to smile for at this point), Sheila comes in and announces that we have some special guests. Lo and behold, who enters the room but Mickey Mouse and Pluto! The fabulous twosome were dressed to the nines in their top hats and tails. Pluto gave me a lick on the cheek and Mickey asked me to dance. Everyone in the room was just grinning. It made for such a special occasion. They made sure to visit everyone in the room and made everyone feel so special. It's that kind of magic that you just don't get anywhere else but a Disney park.

So, after Mickey and Pluto said their goodbyes, we rounded up for a last set of pictures. I didn't catch the bouquet...oh darn. The newlyweds sped off to their honeymoon, I broke down and cried (Joni made me! Meanie!), and we all went back to our respective hotel rooms to recoup from a wonderful, yet tiring day.

But it doesn't end there....oh no.

I got back to PO, changed, washed my face, sat down for a bit, and then (since I had tix for La Nouba at 7:00), decided that if I wanted to explore Downtown Disney, I'd better get going. I hopped a boat downriver and disembarked near The World of Disney. I meandered through every shop I could find (didn't buy anything...surprising) and just generally enjoyed being on my own and decompressing after constantly having to be "up" and "on stage" all day. I'm one of those people who really does just fine traveling and sightseeing on my own. Don't get me wrong, I love having company, but after a while I just start to stress out if I don't have some time alone with my thoughts. So, happy to be solo, I popped into McDonalds for a light dinner, then continued around the circuit, through Pleasure Island over to the La Nouba venue.

My seats were with the Snow family. I thoroughly enjoyed La Nouba. This was the first Cirque du Soleil show that I had seen live, and it was amazing! Totally worth the $60 price of admission. Hilarious, beautiful, strange and awe-inspiring.

After the show, we all putzed around for a while. Terry had to take Tami's suitcase keys over to her at the Yacht Club because she had left them in our dressing room at the GF, so I tagged along for that. They took me back to PO because I wanted to drop off my purse, and then we agreed to meet at the Virgin superstore in about half an hour to go to Pleasure Island.

Once we met back up (it was me and three guys, Terry, Brian Conway, and Brian Snow), we all went back to the Wildhorse for some munchies, and then headed over to the Comedy Warehouse to catch their super funny Improv show. Brian and I had Mudslides and laughed heartily at the adult themed routines. After the comedy, Terry and the elder Brian were ready to go home, so the younger Brian and I looked around at the clubs until we found one we liked (which ended up being the "rock" club...I can't remember the name). We danced for about an hour, but by then my feet were killing me and I was really really tired, so we decided to call it a night. We waited a while for a bus back to PO and then rode home. I spent the next half an hour pulling bobby pins out of my hair, took a much needed shower, and dropped off to sleep instantly.

Friday, September 17, 1999

"Amy goes Solo, sees Grandma, news at 11"

Today's plan was to hit the parks that I hadn't spent much time at (MK and Epcot) on my own and then meet up with my Grandmother (who lives about an hour away in Lakeland) and my aunt for dinner. Since I didn't have a car, they were picking me up at PO at 5. I had a definite timeline that I needed to stick to. I also really wanted to see Lord of the Dance at the America Gardens Theater at Epcot. The showtime that fit my schedule was at 3p.m., so I had to make sure to be there by then. This was the only day that required some logistical park-hopping on my part, but I had a lot of fun and I pulled it off quite well.

So, I pulled myself out of bed about 8, showered and got a quick breakfast at the food court, and was out the door and on the bus to MK by 9a.m. I relished the quiet solitude of being on my own. No parents, no crazed brides and grooms, just me and Disney World. It was going to be fabulous.

One quick note: it's a lot easier to tour solo at WDW than it is at Disneyland. I don't know why, but if you say party of one at Disneyland they look at you like you're a giant loser. Here, it's just normal, no one looks twice at you if you're touring on your own.

Also, a Disneyland lover's commentary - I love Disneyland. It's in my blood. I've been going there since I was three, I've been there every year since, and I'm now an Annual Passholder who goes at least once a month. I know it like the back of my hand. I have my favorite nooks and haunts, and everything is familiar and filled with memories. That being said, going to the Magic Kingdom at WDW is really really really strange for me, because you get tricked into thinking you're at Disneyland, and then boom, you see the Peoplemover and you think, wait a minute, did I step back in time? Or, you head up Main Street, happy as a clam, and your castle is suddenly 5 times larger and white. It's very disconcerting, and it's why I saved this park for my last day. I wanted to go in with a clear frame of mind, because the last time I was here (when I was 13) I spent the entire day comparing the two and I didn't have any fun. Now, almost ten years later, I was ready to approach the doppleganger park with an open mind. Forgive me though if I make some unfavorable comparisons. I'm sure MK is a wonderful, magical park...I'm just biased towards my childhood stomping grounds.

I entered MK and stepped under the berm towards Main Street. That first view of the castle really is impressive, so I stopped and took a picture of it flanked on both sides by the Main Street shops. The park was pretty deserted today, and I made good advantage of the nearly non-existent lines. My first stop was the extraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. We don't have this attraction at Disneyland and I had heard a lot about it, so I wanted to give it a shot. My goal for today was to do all of the rides and attractions that we don't have in California, so that I would have new experiences instead of spending the day comparing attractions. This attraction didn't scare me as much as I thought it was going to. The scariest part for me was watching poor little Skippy get fried. Once we were inside the room, I hunched forward in my seat (because I knew about the breath on the neck thing and I knew it would freak me out), and sat tense and ready for whatever was going to happen. Overall, I was freaked, but not terrified. It would be scarier if they had someone in an alien suit walking around who was illuminated only now and then, but then I guess you don't want to give people heart attacks. Overall, I was impressed, but I think if there was a long line for this one, I would skip it.

Next, I headed over to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Very cute! I liked the whole shooting gallery idea (even though I was horrible...I don't think I hit a single target). The spinning is much calmer than its comparable DL counterpart, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and much easier to control. I can see how children would really like this ride. Very cute and a great addition to Tomorrowland.

Next, I had to hit Space Mountain because I remembered it being a lot faster and scarier than the Disneyland version. There was no line, so I walked, and walked, and walked some more until I got to the front of the right side of the line. I boarded the train (the seats look like lounge chairs) and we were off! I really missed Dick Dale's soundtrack (this adds so much to the Disneyland version), but overall I enjoyed myself. It was fun to go on something familiar.

I finished up my Tomorrowland circuit and found my way over to Fantasyland (it's hard to gauge where you are without a big white mountain in the middle of the park). After a while of looking around and being confused (everything's in a different place here!) I found the entrance to the Pooh ride and got in line. About 10 minutes in, the stupid thing broke down, and they announced that we had the option to wait if we wanted to. One advantage of being a Disney park veteran is knowing when to cut your losses. I knew that I could very well be standing there in one spot for 30 minutes or more, and since there was more that I wanted to see, I excused myself out of the line into the gift shop, browsed a bit, and headed on to my next adventure.

I wandered through Fantasyland, contemplating hopping in line for Peter Pan, but I decided that I was too attached to its counterpart and would probably cry or do something similarly embarrassing if there were even minor discrepancies, so I headed off through the castle and hung a right towards Liberty Square. It was practically a ghost town over here, the park was so empty, which was kind of eerie. I saw the Hall of Presidents to my right, and as we only have one animatronic president in California (Senor Lincoln), I popped in to take in the show. The presentation was your basic patriotic schmaltz, although I will admit, I did get the chills a couple of times during Maya Angelou's reading. It was impressive to see all of our nation's presidents represented on stage, both because it made them more real, and because it really brought home that they're all middle aged white guys. It was hard (from where I was sitting) to tell them apart. Even with the forward by Ms. Angelou and the preceding films, it reminded me that our "history" is that of privileged, upper class white men making decisions for the rest of us. Thankfully, I saw the American Adventure later that day, which made me far less jaded about WDW's contribution to patriotism, but at that moment, I felt both incredulous and sad.

Jaded liberal that I am, I moped around for a while, looked to my left and thought about walking down to Frontierland, but instead headed back through Liberty Square and found my way to Adventureland. After hemming and hawing for a bit, I waited in line for the Tiki Room "Under New Management." I love the "old school" Tiki room at Disneyland, and actually, I liked this show too. I just wish that it was longer. The animatronics (or puppets, or whatever they are) of Zazu and Iago are really detailed and lifelike, and it updates this attraction for the younger audiences. If they had had just a couple more songs, I would be raving right now.

At this point, I really didn't have much else that I wanted to do. I had a feeling that going on any of the other E ticket attractions would just make me homesick, so I wandered through the Main Street shops and hopped the Monorail over to Epcot. On the way I took pictures of the Wedding Pavilion and the Grand Floridian for my scrapbook and relaxed and enjoyed the ride. At the TTC I changed trains and did the Epcot loop before disembarking and heading into the park. I rode Spaceship Earth again and kind of snoozed off, then I headed over to the Universe of Energy to see the new and improved Ellen's Energy Adventure. I love Ellen DeGeneres and think she's totally funny, so I really enjoyed the update. Again though, Bill Nye appears out of nowhere. I swear he's some sort of WDW demi-god. The "ride" portion of this attraction still lacks interest for me. It's just boring. I noticed this time that the dinosaurs are the same ones as on the train at Disneyland.

I was bound and determined to see World Showcase today, so I did the hike over the bridge towards the back half of Epcot. It was getting really hot by now, and walking was fairly exhausting, but I was determined to see it, so I plodded along.

And now...Amy's salute to all nations...but mostly America...

"Canadaaaaa, My Canadaaaa...you're a lifetime of wonder on this planet Earth..." Okay, one too many times listening to the old official soundtrack of the parks. I took a picture, walked up the stairs, didn't see anything that interested me (should have studied my guidebook better and gone to see the movie), and walked back down the stairs.

Crossed the pond over to jolly old England, thought about eating at the Rose and Crown, decided that fish and chips were too heavy for such a hot day, wandered through the shops that reminded me of my English auntie's house when I was growing up (homegirl actually had swords on the wall...super cool), didn't buy anything and skipped over the Channel to...

France. I looked at the menu for Les Chefs De France, felt my pocketbook gasp (Mon Dieu! C'est tres expensive!) and then meandered up the street to browse a bit in the shops. Noticed the extreme use of forced perspective (am I really walking uphill?), contemplated buying something Francais just for kicks, but ended up being a cheap American after all and skipped across the Mediterranean Sea to the exotic locale of...

Morocco. The architecture in this pavilion is truly striking. I felt that I was indeed in North Africa, if only for a few brief moments, especially since I was the only guest wandering through the pavilion at the time, and the rest of the people were Morrocan-looking CM's. I should have had lunch here, since I love this type of cuisine, but was instead extremely stupid (chalking it up to heat exhaustion) and skipped past Japan (sushi would have been another faboo food option) over to the grand old...

USA. Now, I don't know who actually goes from Morocco to America by way of Japan (that would be a very expensive plane ticket), but I stepped out of the orient and back into the Eastern Seaboard of the US in no time at all. By this time I was famished. Of course I was...I'd just walked around the world! I spied a fast food establishment that was in my budget, quick, convenient, and easily accessible, so, I popped into *sigh* The Liberty Inn for a cheeseburger and fries. Ok, just smack my stupid American self right now. If I had actually prepared for my Epcot visit, I would have made a PS at Le Cellier and had cheddar cheese soup, or splurged on delicacies at Les Chefs De France, or treated myself to a big plate of ahi sashimi at Tempura Kiku, but nooooo, I actually had a boring, pedestrian cheeseburger at the Liberty Inn. I'm hanging my head in shame as we speak.

After satisfying the hunger demons, I entered the American Pavilion and was lucky enough to catch an entire show by the Voices of Liberty. They're really fantastic singers. Very inspiring and fun to watch. I then watched the American Adventure. I really enjoyed this entire program. It was balanced, patriotic but not overly self-congratulatory, and tear-jerking. I especially liked how the different scenes appeared out of the stage floor. This completely made up for my disheartening Hall of Presidents experience.

By now, showtime for Lord of the Dance was just around the corner, so I staked out a seat in the America Gardens Theater and waited for the show to begin. It was good, but not as fabulous as my well-worn tapes of both Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The traveling group just doesn't have the energy of a headlining cast. The fiddlers were superb, however. I'm a sucker for a good fiddle player, and both the women were just fantastic.

I filed out with the rest of the audience, looked at my Mickey watch, decided that I'd better get back to Port Orleans pretty quick, and skipped the rest of the remaining countries on my long walk back to the front gate. I swear it's a mile or more from one end of that park to the other. Next time I'm taking a pedometer.

I got back to PO, flopped on the bed exhausted, changed clothes, freshened up and waited for my Grandma and my aunt and her family to arrive. They were there right on time, and after we visited for a bit and I showed my Grandma my bridesmaid's dress, we hopped in their minivan and headed into downtown Orlando. We drove past the upside down Gameworks and the huge FAO Schwartz (if I had been driving we would have stopped, but I wasn't driving, so we kept going). We stopped at a Mexican restaurant that for the life of me I can't remember the name of, but my aunt assured me was good. We were seated promptly, and her two kids started coloring away on their placemats. We chatted for a while (I had my Grandma on one side and my aunt on the other, both of whom are notorious talkers), and had a decent dinner. The food here was okay, but again, being from Southern California, I'm sooooooooooo spoiled when it comes to Mexican food that I really wasn't all that impressed. It was nice to be off-property for a while though, and to see my family and spend some time with them. It was getting late for the kids, so they drove me back and dropped me off after many hugs and promises to write.

I had a message from Tami and Skip that they wanted to say goodbye to me before I left, so I called them back and arranged to meet them at Downtown Disney in half an hour. We met up at the World of Disney as planned and shopped around the stores. I picked up a marvelous Peter Pan ornament for my mom and a super-cute White Rabbit ornament for my sister. For my dad, the non-Disney freak, I purchased a Mickey pen and bookmark. We enjoyed each other's company until we all got tired, then we said goodbye and I boarded a bus for PO while they headed off to the Yacht Club. I was sad that my Disney Wedding experience was coming to an end, but I was also looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed. When I got back to PO, I went straight to bed and slept soundly until the next morning.

Saturday, September 18, 1999

Going home.

I slept in this morning and had a late breakfast. I then walked over to the gift shop and picked up a couple adorable comic-strip frames for Tami and Skip as wedding presents. I went back to the room and packed up. At 10:30 I went out to the loading area and waited for my driver, who didn't show up until 20 minutes later. I was a bit peeved.

This driver was the silent type, which I prefer, and the ride passed quickly. I got to the Orlando airport on time, checked my bags and waited for the flight. A few hours and a few bags of peanuts later I was back in San Diego, relieved to be rid of humidity and hurricanes.

It had been quite an experience, one I'm not likely to forget. Hurricanes, weddings and other assorted traumas aside, my Walt Disney World trip was truly a magical one.

Summations:

Port Orleans: Aside from the fact that it's far away from everything except Downtown Disney, this was a fun and economical place to stay. I enjoyed the themeing and ambiance of the resort. I'd definitely return again.
AK: An entertaining park that could have used some work on its layout. Too unbearably hot to fully enjoy in September, but I'm sure it's fun to explore in the cooler months. Loved the Lion King show and It's Tough to be a Bug.
MGM: Loved ToT and RnRC. Actually, loved the whole park. Film buffs will get a kick out of this park, although I can't imagine kids wanting to spend an entire day here. I wish I could have returned to do some more shopping.
Epcot: Holy cow, is this park big! I'm glad I got to view it over two days, because there's no way you can cover this much ground in one day! I wish I had taken more time to explore the country pavilions, and I wish I had had a chance to eat at some of the themed restaurants. I can imagine this park would be wonderful for couples. I can't wait to go back with my boyfriend Avi.
MK: Ok, so I'm a jaded Southern Californian. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself here. The castle is truly spectacular, and for those who aren't a stone's throw away from Disneyland like me, I'm sure the park holds many magical memories.
Downtown Disney: Great shopping!!!
Pleasure Island: So much fun! I'm glad I got to hang out here more than one night. When Avi and I go, we're going dancing every night here. Great fun for adult night owls.
The Wedding Pavilion: Gorgeous...simply gorgeous. *sigh* *tear* If you're a Disney freak and you can afford it...get married here.
Hurricane Floyd: Terrifying at first, but he didn't pack a punch. I now have the distinction of saying that I was at WDW the day it closed. Neener neener neener.
Traveling with a large group of soon-to-be-related people: Had its ups and downs. I prefer traveling with smaller groups because they're easier to coordinate. Juggling 20 people's various idiosyncrasies can get exhausting.
I guess I don't want to stop writing...so to wrap up, here's my top ten uppers and downers from my trip...then I promise I'll let you get back to your real life:

Downers:

10. Being the only Bridesmaid *pout*

9. The heat

8. The humidity

7. Countdown to Extinction (Aaaaaaarrrrrrggggggh!!!!!)

6. The Hall of White Guys

5. Settling for a Liberty Inn Cheeseburger (Doh!)

4. Did I mention the humidity?

3. The 101 Freeway - Oops, I mean Test Track

2. Post Traumatic Shrieking Monkey Disorder (PTSMD)

1. Hurricane Floyd (was there any doubt?)

Uppers:

10. The American Adventure - Bravo!

9. Mudslides at the Comedy Warehouse

8. Being a Food Rocks! Groupie

7. Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby - So Yummy!

6. Swimming in the pool with Tami the day before her wedding

5. Rock N' Roller Coaster - I hope we get this in Anaheim

4. Being tormented by the Tower of Terror CM

3. Discovering the Miss Piggy Fountain

2. La Nouba

1. Tami and Skippy's Wedding - What could be better than watching your two best friends get married and then dancing with Mickey? Nothing!

I hope you liked my first trip report! I had fun writing it and remembering my trip. Hopefully I'll go sometime soon so that I can write another one. If I'm lucky, it won't be as exciting as this one.

A bientot!

Amy Hathaway

amynicole22@go.com

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